Moving to head off a new quarrel with Trinidad and Tobago, the Jamaican foreign ministry yesterday insisted no Jamaican immigration, customs officials or Government security personnel conducted any search of a female Government minister from the Caribbean Community (Caricom) partner state at the Norman Manley International Airport.Foreign Minister Kamina Johnson Smith was responding to media reports that Ayanna Webster-Roy, minister in the Office of the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, was searched immediately prior to boarding an international flight on Friday, June 2, 2017.
The reports alleged that the search was conducted by Jamaican immigration authorities, notwithstanding their awareness of the minister’s official status.
“Our initial enquiries indicate that a search took place, but that it was conducted by a private security company retained by the international airline on which the minister and her delegation were travelling,” Johnson Smith said.
“Furthermore, we are advised that such searches are generally undertaken by the airline under international conventions and are based on random computer selection for additional security screening,” she added.
“While we regret the minister’s distress, our enquiries so far reveal that diplomats and ministers of other countries, as well as current and former ministers of Jamaica, across political administrations, have in fact undergone this additional screening process, notwithstanding their status.”
“The Government is, however, taking the matter seriously. Even as we await a promised formal letter from my counterpart in Trinidad and Tobago, we are making further enquiries regarding the legal framework supporting such searches, as well as the specific circumstances of Friday’s incident. We will write to the airline to make a formal request in this regard.”
Minister Johnson Smith assured the public that the Jamaican Government wanted all visitors to Jamaica, including colleague dignitaries from foreign and Caricom countries, to be comfortable in their travel to and from Jamaica, notwithstanding any security protocols.
She stated that it was important to stress that even at this stage of enquiries, it was quite clear that the search was in no way related to the issue of free movement under the Caribbean Single Market and Economy, nor was it related to the minister’s nationality.
The Jamaican minister asked her Trinidadian counterpart to convey her personal empathy to Minister Webster-Roy, “for any distress caused by the airline’s security screening process”.
Kamina yuh nice to a fault! !!yea mon a you sey Diplomacy so big up urself!!Johnson smith is the best performing politician ya now and believe it or not Warrington is next best…hardworkers!!
:hammer. Chump soon put T & T pon ban list.
I don’t know why Jamaica even respond to them smh di security ppl dem shudda dig dung every last one a dem. Unno get a taste a unno own medicine and now unno a bawl lmao serve har right….not a nice feeling aint it? Bout she want apology from Jamaica dwl sidung and wait cuz you soon get it. Go contact American Airlines and ask dem fi di apology.
Jamaicans manufacture umbrellas for shade … the minister basically said .. unu search wi ppl all the time but try again a nuh si search unu ..
U get randomly selected and u see a SSS on ur boarding pass. So u gonna get pulled aside, who shi think she be? Diplomatic Passport or not random is random. Tell her fi go cuss di computer.